Judge shares story of his Irish family's journey to America with new citizens

Syracuse, NY. -- Stepan and Nataliya Grynyk were thrilled when their native Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, but life was tough in the new country.

Nearly 10 years later, the couple entered their names in the green card lottery, hoping to land an immigrant visa to come to the United States.

They won.

Thursday, they were among 26 people who became naturalized as United States citizens in the Onondaga County Courthouse.

"We came for better opportunities for our kids," said Stepan Grynyk, 40, who lives in Clay with his wife and their two children, Bogdan, 16 and Ivanna, 13. "There was big inflation, (Ukraine) was a young country, it was not really good."

State Supreme Court Judge James Murphy thanked the new citizens for choosing to become Americans and told them about his family's journey to America. His Irish grandfathers came searching for a better life because they were starving in Ireland. His German grandmother's family came for the same reasons, he said.

"That is the story of America," he said.

Urban affairs editor Maureen Sieh will have a full report in Friday's paper. Also check the Metro Voices blog for more on this story.